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              Bodies Pulled From Bosphorus Strait After Boat Sinks

   by Reuters

   Fisherman and coast guards pulled bodies from the sea at the mouth of
   Istanbul's Bosphorus strait on Monday after a boat believed to be
   carrying dozens of illegal migrants sank, Turkish authorities and a
   shipping agent said.

   The Istanbul governor's office said four people had been found dead and
   five rescued alive.

   Turkish media reported that at least 10 dead bodies were retrieved and
   around 30 people were missing. Most of those who died were children,
   the Hurriyet news website reported rescuers as saying.

   "They had life jackets. But there were bodies everywhere. Babies,
   children. ... We pulled out 15-20 bodies," it quoted fisherman Kadir
   Sert as saying.

   Boat sank

   The governor's office said the coast guard had been alerted after the
   boat sank around 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the coast in the Black Sea
   at the northern end of the Bosphorus.

   One coast guard ship and seven boats were sent to the area along with a
   helicopter and a diving team, the governor's office said in a written
   statement. It did not say how many people were on the boat and coast
   guard officials were not available for comment.

   Shipping agents GAC said in a statement the boat had been heading for
   the Romanian port of Constanta when it sank around 5 a.m. (0300 GMT)
   and was believed to be carrying about 50 refugees.

   Many illegal migrants from Africa and the Middle East pass through
   Turkey to get into the European Union, often traveling in unsafe boats.

   The Bosphorus strait is one of the world's busiest waterways, a vital
   route for Russian oil and other commodities as the only outlet to the
   world's oceans from the Black Sea.

   The strait bisects Istanbul, a city of about 15 million people. Poor
   weather frequently forces its closure in winter.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/bodies-pulled-from-bosphorus-strait-after-boat-sinks/2505748.html